Teacher Resources

New Live Animal Shows

Beginning September 3rd the Museum will offer the following new LIVE ANIMAL shows designed for specific grades in connection with the Utah State Core Curriculum. Anyone, regardless of age may request any of the following shows:

• Reptiles (Preschool)
• Animal Babies (Kindergarten)
• Plants and Plant Growth (First Grade)
• Invertebrates (Second Grade)
• Ecosystems (Third Grade)
• Utah Plants and Animals (Fourth Grade)
• Adaptations (Fifth Grade)

Visiting the Museum

Scheduling a show

• Live animal shows are free of charge. Teachers are requested to fill out a feedback form after viewing a show.
• If a class is unable to make a field trip to the Museum, outreach shows can be scheduled. In an outreach show, a staff member from the Museum will travel to the school and present one of the Museum's seven live animal shows.
  • The cost for an outreach show is $30 for schools within Utah County and $50 for those outside the county.
• In-house shows must be scheduled at least one week in advance. Outreach shows must be scheduled two weeks in advance. To schedule a show, call (801) 422-5052 with the following information: which show is desired, the number of students attending, and the grade level of the group. After the show is scheduled, a confirmation letter will be sent by e-mail.
• Shows may not be scheduled on Thursdays at 11 AM. During holidays please check the Museum website for adjusted hours.
• Due to staffing issues, shows may not be scheduled during the University final exam week. For the 2007-2008 school year, final exams are scheduled for the weeks of December 17-21 and April 18-23.

Additional information

• There is a limit of 200 students per group.
• Parking is available for busses in the Marriott Center parking lot (north of the Museum). Before parking, busses may drop off students in front of the Museum (south side).
• Food is not allowed inside the Museum - the Museum's collections are extremely vulnerable to certain kinds of pests. These pests thrive on small pieces of food; therefore, in order to protect our remarkable collections we ask that our patrons do not bring any food into the Museum.

Bio Boxes (Grades 6-12)

Coming soon to the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum!

Because of short class periods and student numbers, science classes in grades 6-12 may not be able to experience the Museum first hand. With that in mind, the M.L. Bean Life Science Museum is in the process of developing "Bio-Boxes" as a way to bring Museum educational programs into the classroom. Each Bio-Box will be designed around a biological concept central to the state and national science core curricula. Each box will contain various pertinent specimens from the Museum education collection; where applicable, boxes will also include supporting printed literature, such as field guides. The final item in each box will be a printed teacher's guide, which will provide basic information about the subject, a description of what core curriculum concepts the box covers, and ideas as to how the contents of the Bio-Box can be effectively integrated into lesson plans. Each Bio-Box can be used in a number of ways - the topic of one day's lesson or as supplemental material for an entire unit. Bio-Boxes are free to educators, though there will be a $25 deposit, fully refundable if the box is returned on time and in good condition. Bio-Boxes will be available for educators to keep and use for up to two weeks. Bio-Box topics include: Adaptations and Evolution, Ecosystems, and Classification.

Check here in the future to find out when Bio-Boxes will be available!

Teacher Guide

We are also publishing a teacher guide for the Museum that will describe the various activities the museum provides for school groups. If you would like to receive a copy of this guide, email Katy Knight with your name, school and school address.

You can also download a copy of the guide here.

Scavenger Hunts

Before you bring your classes to the museum, you can download and print any of these scavenger hunts.

• Preschool
• Easy
• Medium
• Hard
• Expert
• Birds
• Butterflies

Call (801) 422-5051 and we will email you the answers.